Greetings from aboard a FlixBus heading to Innsbruck, Austria. I just spent a really nice weekend reuniting with my friend Jana in Heidelberg, Germany. But more on that later. For now let’s rewind two weeks, back to Belgium…
Bikes, Rocks, Bees, Pizza
April 1, 2023
My last blog entry was about Tilburg Part 2 (will there be a Part 3? Keep following my blog to find out! 😉). You might recall that after Tilburg Part 2 I returned to Brouwerij Feys for one more week, so I guess I’ll call this whole portion of the trip “Returning To Places” since I returned to Tilburg, Alveringem, and now…Brugge! From the brewery, Hendrik and Cindy drove me all the way to Brugge, since it was on their route. I was happy to hang out with Nele again and experience the start of De Ronde van Vlaanderen – the Tour of Flanders!
When we reunited that afternoon, Nele and I spent time catching up on what had happened in our lives; surprisingly there was a lot for both of us in two weeks! Then we hopped on Nele’s two bikes, linked up with Nele’s friend, and cycled to Sport Vlaanderen Brugge for indoor rock climbing. Nele and her friend started climbing in January, and I’d only done it twice in life, so they were competent but not too far above my level. I mostly stuck to the easiest climbing paths (level 4), but as I gained confidence I switched to harder ones, including a level 5! We only took photos when I was doing the easiest route, but by the end I was making bold moves to the top of a level 5 wall (I’m proud to say I got to the top of every path I climbed!). When I went rock climbing in NY I didn’t love it, since I went with people who were much more advanced than me. This time I really enjoyed it. If I lived in Brugge I’d definitely join Nele and her friend for their weekly meetup; they were great climbing buddies and helped me gain confidence.
An hour later, though we wanted to keep climbing, Nele and I had another place to be: An appointment with a Belgian beekeeper! We said goodbye to her friend, biked back to Nele’s place, traded bikes for car, and were off again!
Long story short, Nele is interested in learning about beekeeping and connected with a 70-something-year-old Flemish beekeeper who wants to show younger people his trade. He spoke little English, ik spreek maar een beetje Nederlands, and Nele translated between us when necessary. As we visited each hive location I had fun trying to pick out words and guess the context before Nele’s translation, and I learned a lot about beekeeping in Belgium as we went. This beekeeper makes most of his supplies himself, and I was impressed by his workshop space. It felt special to spend a few hours touring rural areas outside Brugge as the beekeeper proudly showed off his hives and brought us to beautiful locations inaccessible to the public. Definitely a worthwhile adventure!
Back at Nele’s we ordered pizza for dinner (not bad) and had a pleasant night in. It’s really cool to have met someone on this trip who feels like such a solid friend; I truly hope Nele and I are able to keep in touch after I leave.
De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Tiny House, Pierre
April 2, 2023
The next morning I woke full of anticipation; it was time for the Tour of Flanders! You’ve probably heard of Le Tour de France; De Ronde van Vlaanderen is similar, with many of the same cycling superstars. Sometimes I mention to local people that I follow professional cycling and that Wout van Aert is my favorite, and everyone is always shocked. An American who knows of Wout van Aert – so rare! It’s not common to follow this sport in the US, but my dad and I enjoy watching the Tour de France and I follow some of the competitors – especially team Jumbo-Visma – on YouTube and Instagram. Now, here was an opportunity to see the Belgian superstar and many other top tier cyclists live; amazing!
Nele and I walked to the city center, which was transformed for the event. There must have been thousands of people lined up, waving the flag of Flanders (interesting fact: Similar to the American flag, the Flanders flag has become a symbol of conservatives, but is still waved proudly at sporting events regardless of political viewpoint). What a turnout! Nele spotted a nice perch that no one had taken and kindly said I should be the one to stand on it. Thank you so much Nele; I appreciate you greatly!
The presentation of the teams was cool to watch. The riders were introduced individually with their teams, came on stage, sometimes said a few words, then cycled down the road we were standing along. Even without being close to the stage it was easy to hear when a popular rider was coming; a wave of sound built as he passed. Of course, here in his homeland, Wout van Aert got the biggest cheer.
Next, the riders all cycled down the street again, this time to line up at the start. Wout van Aert came right by where we were standing! We all counted down together – Tien, negen, acht, zeven, zes, vijf, vier, drie, twee, een… and they were off! I think the start line was the most exciting place to be; we saw each rider individually, plus team cars with spare bikes and a procession of old bicycles and people dressed to match. There was a livestream of the race on a big screen in the square, but unfortunately it was taken down after 15 minutes or so. I wish they’d kept it up all day; it would have been a cool way to unite the city, like I experienced in London during the 2012 Paralympic Games (all across the city, livestreams of the events were set up in public spaces, and people gathered and cheered. It was so cool).
I’m glad I got to see this event. There are no events like the Tour of Flanders in the US, since mainly Europeans ride these tours, so it felt special to see this one live. I was smiling all day after getting to be there!
Next, Nele’s parents came over and were happily surprised – as all Belgians have been – that I am a Wout van Aert fan. We talked about cycling, music, travel and other topics as we enjoyed a homemade lunch in Nele’s kitchen. Then we got in their car and drove to meet another 70-something in the rural areas outside Brugge. This time, we visited a tiny house Nele is thinking of buying and chatted with a farmer named Pierre, while also getting updates on how the Tour of Flanders was progressing. Wout was doing okay but now here comes Tadej Pogacar…
Pierre is half Luxembourgish, half English, raised in Brugge. He speaks impeccable French and perfect English with a British accent, so it was funny that his Flemish is that of someone raised in the rural areas outside Brugge; I loved hearing his thick Brugge accent and catching differences in how he pronounces words compared to what I’ve heard in other parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. The differences in dialects and accents over such short distances are amazing! We spent a few lovely hours in Pierre’s home as he shared stories. He reminds me of my great-uncle Jimmy, who had the same twinkle in his eye, the same “renaissance man” spirit, and the same enthusiasm and pride when telling stories or showing off things he made. Pierre showed us his many clogs (we each got a pair to wear), leather satchels he created, and told stories of his life that could have been in a movie. At one point, with that twinkle in his eye, he pulled out a wooden barrel full of Belgian chocolates, to make sure we each had our fill. It felt special to spend time with such a unique and wonderful person in the Flanders countryside. Dank u wel Pierre!
We wrapped up the day with a short hike and dinner at a restaurant, where I tried a Belgian specialty of tiny shrimp from the north sea. Tasty! It was so nice to hang out with Nele and her parents and I greatly enjoyed our time together. They invited me to Antwerp (and her dad invited me to some folk music sessions, since he is also a musician) but sadly I won’t make it back that way on this trip. Next time! 🙂
Full Circle
April 3, 2023
This second trip to Brugge ended way too soon. I spent the next morning grading student work in Nele’s house, then we had lunch together, shared a big hug, and said “Tot ziens!” I love this phrase; it doesn’t mean goodbye, more like “See you soon.” I truly hope we do!
I spent the next hour wandering through parts of Brugge I hadn’t seen yet, including a church with a swing, a pretty but over-touristed nun’s/single women’s community called Begijnhof, and the part of the nature path I didn’t see last time, to conclude my Brugge journey in the same place it began. I enjoy Brugge and I’m very glad to have met Nele. We’ll meet again, I’m sure. ☺️
Wow…I went away for a super fun weekend and now I’m quite behind on the blog. But never fear, here is a new entry!
Wandering
March 16, 2023
After leaving Gent I continued to Brugge (Bruges in English). As soon as I got off the train I had a fun encounter; Hello Fresh was doing a promotion for Belgians, and a guy at the station asked where I live. When I told him I was visiting and he asked why, I said “Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands, maar het is moeilijk en…I want to practice.” After getting over his shock he asked why I know some Dutch, so I explained about my unintended immersion experience in New Zealand. “You live a very interesting life!” he exclaimed. I left the station with a big smile on my face, feeling like the main character in a cool story.
Still smiling, I decided to wander without consulting a map or my phone, just choose a direction and see where it took me. I had four hours before I could meet my host, so why not? I felt so deprived of green space in Gent, so I made a beeline for a park and immediately felt peaceful and happy. Nature is so therapeutic.
I spent the next two hours casually wandering the outskirts of Brugge, following a path along the water and meandering off if I saw something interesting, no clear destination. Brugge is a city built to be protected; the entire place is surrounded by canals, with bridges allowing commuters in and out. Along the waterway I discovered four windmills, cool art, old castle structures, and I could see the tops of old buildings peeking out from the city center.
Eventually I settled at a picnic table near a quiet garden to eat some snacks, then strolled to a bar to warm up with a cup of tea. The bar turned out to be a very local establishment. The server didn’t speak English, so I ordered my tea in Dutch and felt proud of successfully doing so. As I drank my tea I listened to a conversation nearby in a thick Flemish dialect unlike any I’d heard on the trip. It’s incredible how quickly this language changes over just a few kilometers!
I’ve mentioned this before but it’s worth repeating: The Netherlands and Belgium are Dutch-speaking countries in which dialects morph over as little as 5 km. Here again was an example: People from Brugge pronounce the “g” as an “h” and emphasize words differently, sometimes using completely different words from neighbors as near as Gent. There is a specific phrase that is sort of a joke; in English it translates to “mosquito memory,” and it has a ton of “g” sounds in it. Someone with a thick Brugge accent would say it sort of like “Muhuhuh huhuhuh.” The Flanders region of Belgium is historically/stereotypically considered an area of “stupid” farmers in Belgium, so it’s rare to hear West Vlaams dialects spoken elsewhere; people from Brugge switch to a more standard Dutch when speaking elsewhere. When you quietly sip tea in a very local bar however, you get a linguistic treat. 😁
After the bar I continued to the home of Nele, a cyclist I connected with through the Facebook group “Host A Sister.” She lives on a beautiful, quiet, cobblestoned street away from the bustle of the touristic center of Brugge. Her home used to belong to a group of nuns, and there is a secret garden attached to it. As soon as she opened the door I felt I’d met a good friend; we clicked instantly and forgot to eat dinner at a decent time as we chatted over the next hour. She is planning to cycle through Norway this summer on a similar trip to the one I did last year, so we had lots to talk about.
Belfort, Tour, Waffles, Mistakes, Burn
March 17, 2023
Belfort
My first impression of Brugge was that I loved it; that quiet, meandering walk was so peaceful and interesting. This day however, I discovered a different Brugge. It started with a trip with Nele to the belfort (belfry), which dates back to the 13th century. Usually you have to pay to climb to the top, but because Nele works at a museum (a bakery museum, to be exact!) she gets free passes. Awesome!
As we climbed, Nele shared fun facts about the belfort:
The belfort was built in the year 1240
It is a UNESCO world heritage site
The belfort contains a chest that held the city’s charters during the Middle Ages. The chest is hidden behind two wrought iron doors and sealed with many padlocks, the keys for which are each safeguarded by a different city council member; no single person can open the chest alone.
The charters were moved there after a fire destroyed the previous city docuents in 1280 (I think in the old city hall?)
There are 47 bells in the carillon (the musical instrument that makes the bells ring). The city also has a carilloneur, a musician who plays the instrument on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. There is a list of the city’s carilloneur’s dating back to the 1500s!
The carilloneur can play whatever he wants, and he certainly does! When a musician dies the carilloneur plays their music, sometimes he plays tunes to match specific holidays, the weather, or whatever he feels like on that day. Apparently a couple weeks ago he played “Bohemian Rhapsody;” imagine that being played on giant bells!
On days when the carilloneur does not play, there is a system of gears that turns a giant rolling machine that looks a bit like a monster-sized player piano roll. Every two years the pegs are switched out on the machine so it will play a different song.
There is a belfry keeper who lives in the tower and receives a stipend. The current keeper is leaving, so there is an opening for a new one now. 😄 At night the belfort is closed to the public, so sometimes the keeper has private parties on the property! Who wants a new job in Brugge?
After the tower, Nele said goodbye and left for a retreat weekend she’d signed up for. I’d see her again though; she was kindly letting me stay at her place for the weekend, and we’d reunite to drive to Alveringem together on Monday. This was not the end!
Tour
Next I met Susana, a traveler I connected with through the Facebook group “Solo Female Travelers.” We’d decided to do a free walking tour, then see where the day took us. The tour was informative…too informative…I zoned out many times. Some of the information was interesting, but there were also many touristy details about where to buy the best chocolate, waffles, etc. I was also surprised to see SO MANY walking tours happening simultaneously. When you reach the center of Brugge, it is indeed very touristy!
Here are some things I remember from the tour. Take these facts with a grain of salt, since I zoned out a lot. The guide was English, not Belgian, but she certainly likes Belgian history:
You know those red, white, and blue-striped barber poles? I thought that was an American thing, but no! In Brugge (and other places?) there was once a shortage of people who could do blood-lettings, so barbers were recruited to act as surgeons, since they knew how to use sharp objects like razors. The striped barber pole colors represent their work; blue represents veins and red is blood.
There are lots of inward-facing houses in Brugge. They’re built that way to avoid taxes; a homeowner once only had to pay taxes for outward-facing windows!
Michaelangelo spent seven years working on a statue of Mary and baby Jesus for the church (of Belgium? Brugge specifically? Unclear) but it was rejected because his Jesus was a chubby and naked. Some guys from Brugge approached him and asked if they could have the statue, and he gave it to them for free. It’s still in Brugge, proudly displayed.
Brugge has over 80 bridges!
Brugge is yet another city where urine was historically bought and used, this time for the tannery.
Many roofs in Brugge display golden statues. These represent trade guilds; people put a statue at the top of their building to represent what was produced/sold inside. There is even one with two golden snails, signifying that at one time, that was the only place to buy escargot in Brugge.
Brugse Zot is a special beer made only in Brugge. According to a sign at De Halve Maan, a 16th century brewery that makes the beer:
When Emperor Maximillian of Austria visited Bruges, its proud citizens put on a colourful parade of merrymakers and jesters. After it was over, the citizens asked him to build them a new madhouse. To this he replied: “Today, I have seen nothing but fools. Bruges is already one big madhouse!” Since that day, the people of Bruges have gone by the nickname of ‘Brugse Zotten’ or ‘Fools of Bruges’.
To clear up some details about that quote, thanks to an internet search: Maximillian’s visit was not quite so simple. His wife Mary of Burgundy, who had been the ruler of Flanders, died in Brugge in 1482. When Maximillian took over, he had a lot of resentment towards the city and implemented heavy taxes. Understandably, the people of Brugge – and Flanders as a whole – did not like this, so when Maximillian visited Brugge in 1488, they rebelled and threw him in jail for four months. They tortured and beheaded his sheriff, Pieter Lanchals, directly outside his cell window, and Maximillian finally reconsidered the tax. The people of Brugge then decided to throw a big celebration to honor him, and they requested a new mental hospital for the city. That’s when the line about the city of fools comes in, hence the name of the beer.
There were tons more facts; the tour was over two hours long! I didn’t mean to zone out so much, but the information wasn’t presented in an overly interesting way. I still think Brugge is a good place for a tour, since we visited areas I may not have seen otherwise. However, if I did it over I would have done a ghost tour at night, or borrowed Nele’s bike (which she gave me permission to use) for my own spectacular tour on two wheels 🙃
Waffles
After the tour, Susana wanted to check out the waffle house recommended by our guide, and I decided to join. I didn’t find it to be overly special; the Belgian waffle I ate in Norway this summer was better. I think because Brugge is so touristy, it’s better to eat traditional Belgian foods elsewhere in the country. Everything in the center of Brugge is overpriced and geared toward tourists; it felt like a different city than the Brugge I wandered through the previous day. Nonetheless I like Brugge, and it was cool to meet another solo traveler and hear about her journey. We travel differently, so it was interesting to get her perspective on traveling through the Netherlands and Belgium, and compare where we are in our life journeys. A lot of 30-somethings I’ve met on this trip seem to be in similar places in life…I guess we are all restless souls in the end…
Mistakes
Ugh. Now for the worst part of the day. I hadn’t realized Nele would let me stay at her place over the weekend, so before I arrived in Brugge I’d contacted another host. When I found out I could stay at Nele’s place I notified the other host (we’ll call her S), and she practically begged me to come, stating that her daughters were really looking forward to meeting me and would be so disappointed if I chose not to visit. She also invited me to a pub singing event that sounded similar to the folk-singing events I love in NY, so I decided to stay at her place for one night, though I was craving the solitude of Nele’s wonderful home.
I met S at a bar in Brugge. She briefly said hello, then proceeded to speak Dutch to the man she was with for 20 minutes while I stood awkwardly on the side. Not a great start…
Next we got in her car and she told me about how she got her license ten years ago and still feels new to driving, so we’d be driving only a short distance to meet her friend to drive the rest of the way to the singing event. Okay…would have been good to know this in advance…
At this point, I started brainstorming a plan. First: Make sure not to leave stuff in the car. Even though it’s annoying to carry a backpack to a pub, I’d bring it with me. I was so surprised at this introduction; I’ve never had such an unwelcoming encounter with a Couchsurfing host.
When we met her friend, she said “Oh it’s so great to meet you! I have so many questions!” We got in her car and…the two women spoke Dutch for the entire 30-min. drive, never even acknowledging me in the back.
This is when I started really making an escape plan. First step: Let someone local-ish know where I was. Nele didn’t have service at the retreat and Bruno (my host in Gent) doesn’t check his phone while working night shifts, though I knew I could go to his place if needed (he’d said I was welcome any time, and I knew the key code). Okay…Netherlands isn’t far from Belgium so why not someone I’d been keeping in touch with…Niels on Wheels! I let him know what was happening and he offered to reach out to friends nearby if I got stuck. Awesome. He also advised keeping an eye on the driver; there is a bit of a stereotype that Belgians drink and drive, and I certainly did not want to get in a car with an intoxicated driver (of course this not true of all Belgians, but I kept a close eye just to be safe). I also checked train times and felt confident I could get from Gent back to Brugge easily. I didn’t feel in danger and I had an escape route planned…good.
After we parked the car, S switched to English and shared what a messy family I was walking into; one of of her daughters was depressed and the other was having panic attacks and seeing a therapist to cope with someone dying at school. It has been years since S hosted anyone, because space is limited with her two daughters. Umm…and these are the daughters who would be so disappointed if I didn’t visit? Hmm…
We entered the pub and it became clear this was NOT the sort of pub sing I love attending in NY, but rather a big, drunken St. Patrick’s Day party with obnoxious big green hats and too many wasted college kids smushed into a space almost too crowded to move. The ground was sticky with spilled beer, and within five minutes of being there I watched a drunk girl break a glass. Turns out other details were also left out; S was not meeting one friend, but a whole pack of friends, who cheerily said hi to me, ordered drinks, and grouped together speaking Dutch while a live band played and I stood awkwardly on the side. Even the driver had a drink, and I got the sense it wasn’t going to be a one and done situation. Great…
By this point I’d decided I was definitely leaving, just had to wait for the right moment. When an opportunity presented itself, I told S this was not my scene and I’d be taking the train back. “But you’ll come tomorrow right?” she said. Yeah…right…
Burn
The ride back to Brugge was long, but I felt confident I’d made the right choice. Some of you reading this might be thinking “Wow, I’m never using a hosting platform, that sounds dangerous!” but notice what happened here: I made a decision against my better judgement to drive with S, and it was people I’d met through hosting who were ready to help me. I had Nele’s key in my pocket, Bruno’s open door, and Niels on standby to contact friends, messaging me the whole time with fun conversation to make sure I made it back to Brugge safely. Ultimately I helped myself, but I had a network of support thanks to hosting platforms.
The eventful evening was not quite over…turns out when you’re having a great time texting about bike adventures, you might distractedly check to see if the stove is heating up for tea with your bare fingers and burn them. I recommend never hearing the sound of your own sizzling flesh…it’s terrible. Luckily the burns weren’t bad; I treated my fingers right away and they have been healing well. Turns out a long train ride and some lightly-burned fingers aren’t so bad when you have someone cool to text the whole time 😉
Chill
March 18-19, 2023
I did practically nothing all weekend and it was awesome. I worked out, did yoga, read Nijntje Vliegt, slept late, cooked, ate some delicious chocolate Nele left for me, admired her amazing welcome sign made from a bike chain, listened to the church bells ringing nearby…just a relaxing, chill time. My biggest adventure was a trip to a store where I bought groceries without the cashier switching to English (hooray for glorious celery and language learning!). En route I saw street art by a famous artist named ROA, from Gent. His art is seen worldwide; he usually paints wild animals native to whatever area he is visiting. Awesome!
Bakkerijmuseum
March 20, 2023
After my wonderful relaxing weekend, I took the bus to Veurne on Monday to meet Nele. We went out for lunch to swap stories about our weekends, then took a trip to the bakery museum where she works. The museum is currently closed for renovation, but she gave me a private tour! It was cool to see the old bakery equipment and hear Nele speak with pride about everything happening at the museum, and its history. The bakery guild in Belgium was founded in the 1300s, and it is still active today. The museum sometimes receives interesting items from the guild, such as old religious relics related to St. Aubertus (patron saint of bakers), and old baking equipment like cookie molds hundreds of years old!
I was so busy being wowed by all the interesting items at the museum that I didn’t write down many fun facts; you’ll have to visit Veurne after the bakery re-opens in October to experience it for yourself! 😉
After the bakery we continued to Alveringem, where I would begin my Workaway experience at Feys Brewery. I’ll save that for the next entry. Stay tuned…
Also! This was still not the end of seeing Nele. When we said goodbye we agreed that it felt like we hadn’t just met; I can imagine that we might meet again for some bike tour in the future, and this coming weekend I’ll be traveling back to Brugge to visit her again to watch the Tour of Flanders cycling event. Go Wout van Aert! Dank je wel Nele for being awesome…see you soon! 😁
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